James Mayer, 20, died Monday after a police officer shot him during a fast-moving encounter in east Lubbock. Police said Mayer fired a gun from his vehicle, drove away from officers several times and later stepped out of the car with a firearm.
The trouble started around 9:43 a.m. near the Canyon Lakes area. Lubbock police were called after reports came in about a man firing a gun. Callers also told 911 that the man was showing a gun while driving around the area.
Police soon located the vehicle. Mayer was driving north on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near 19th Street when officers tried to contact him. Chief Seth Herman said officers were also attempting to take him into custody on a felony warrant.
Mayer did not stop cooperating, police said. Herman said he refused to show his hands and continued driving. Police then said he pointed a gun from the vehicle window and fired a shot before taking off.
The vehicle stopped again at East Broadway and MLK Boulevard, but Mayer drove away once more. He continued east on Parkway Drive. Officers tried to stop him with a police cruiser, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
The chase finally ended in the parking lot of a store on Parkway Drive, just east of MLK Boulevard. Police were able to force the vehicle to stop. Herman said Mayer stepped out of the car holding the gun, prompting an officer to fire.
Officers rushed to provide first aid. EMS crews arrived and Mayer was taken to UMC with serious injuries. Despite those efforts, he later died at the hospital. The officer involved was not hurt.
Police recovered a handgun from the scene and said it was not the officer’s weapon. The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. Lubbock police said the officer has been with the department for eight years.
The case leaves several parts of Monday’s encounter under investigation, but police have laid out the basic sequence: a gunfire call near Canyon Lakes, a vehicle pursuit, a shot fired from the car, several attempts to stop Mayer and the final confrontation in a Parkway Drive parking lot.
Mayer was 20 years old when the encounter ended his life. The investigation will now determine the full circumstances surrounding the police shooting.
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